The starting point for the “political prisoner” status determination is a criminal case initiated in connection with protest activities and leading to imprisonment or restriction of liberty with the referral to a correctional facility.

Group I. 196 women political prisoners / in custody:

In temporary detention facilities, pre-trial detention centers, remand prisons, under house arrest as suspects or accused under criminal articles in connection with protests; women serving sentences in colonies, prisons & women sentenced to restriction of freedom with a referral to a correctional institution („khimiya“), to compulsory treatment in an psychiatric hospital:

1. 156  women in custody (pre-trial & after trial = serving the sentence in a colony)
2.  4 women under house arrest, HA (pre-trial)
3.  35 women are in a correctional facility, CF, IUOT, "khimiya"  (after-trial = serving the sentence)

Group II. Women subjected to politically motivated persecution

All of them are now or were under criminal circumstances in connection with protest activities. Their cases must be reviewed within the framework of the law and a fair trial, and in the future, these people must be rehabilitated.

A) Women who are not imprisoned, but their freedom is limited by another or unknown measure of punishment:

1. 224 women under partial house arrest ("domashniaya khimiya"), including pardoned prisoners, whose sentence was softened by the measure of restraint of freedom without being sent to a correctional institution
2. 17 women on bail: under an obligation not to leave the country 
3. 10 women: correctional labor / fine
4. 1 woman convicted with a suspended date of the sentence 
5. 124 women "unknown": there is no information about the location, but there is information about the articles of the charge and the verdict

B) Women, who were prosecuted under criminal articles in connection with protest activities, and they were "conditionally released" (their lives are under the supervision of the regime) or escaped serving their sentences, but continue to be under political persecution:

1. 34 women released after serving the sentence, as well as released after the investigation due to the closure of the criminal case
2. 9 women political prisoner pardoned
3. 39 women in forced emigration (women who had already been convicted but left the territory of Belarus before or during the serving of their sentence
4. 3 women deported by the authorities from Belarus

*Source:

-"Joint statement of the belarusian civil society on the political emergency in Belarus and the full number of political prisoners"

BWF joined this statement on 02.11.21

in Media:

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27.01.22: Political Prisoners in Belarus  - United States Department of State

27.01.22: Более 1000 политзаключенных. Кто они и что это значит для Беларуси? | Беларусь: взгляд из Европы - спецпроект DW | DW | 27.01.2022

05.01.22: Political prisoners in Belarus in 2021. Statistics (spring96.org)

30.12.20: Ситуация с правами человека в Беларуси. Декабрь 2020 (spring96.org)

Руководство по определению понятия «политический заключённый» | Правозащитный центр «Мемориал» (memohrc.org)

Guidelines on Definition of Political Prisoner | Human Rights Center MEMORIAL (memohrc.org)

Как не запутаться в видах уголовного наказания (mediazona.by)

A guide to Belarusian prisons | openDemocracy